Saturday, June 07, 2008

I finally got up early enough to get over to the Farmers' Market in Waverly. And because I went today, I'm not sure if I'm going to the I-83 one tomorrow. I brought around $20 with me, and spent half of it. And oh, the frivolous purchases I made! Just kidding. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I would find. I do know that I found things cheaper - sometimes much cheaper - than I am used to. My one big problem was deciding what to buy, amidst the booths and booths of fresh veggies and fruits, flowering plants, herbs, dairy products and prepared foods. The first booth I came to had some pretty fancy greens that cost more than I could pony up, even though they were probably 1) cheaper here than they would be anywhere else, and 2) rare enough to not be able to find anywhere else. It was still very popular (more power to 'em). But I stuck to the booths that sold corn for 50¢ an ear and little boxes of baby potatoes for $3. I spent much time lingering around these booths, buying said bag of red creamer potatoes for $3, a bag of fresh green beans for $2 and a bunch of green onions for 75¢.

The prices for spices and herbs were what impressed me the most. You can't find bunches of fresh herbs that cheap in the grocery stores anymore. Here I found bunches of thyme, mint and cilantro for $1, and basil for $2. Boxed live herbs were a little pricier at $3 in most places. And then there was the Whiskey Island Pirate Shop. They sell fresh steamed-on-the-spot crawfish for $10 a pound. I didn't have enough to buy that - conserving my money here. I did have enough to buy some of their specialty dried herbs and spices, which go for noticeably cheaper than they do in the stores. I was able to get thyme for $1 per half-ounce - enough to fill my spice jar. Most impressive was the ounce of smoked paprika that I scored for $2. This tastes nothing like the paprika I am used to. Instead, it's more like a very mild chipotle. Very good stuff. Price-wise I was most impressed with the ounce of pine nuts I got for $1.50. Usually in the stores, you find three times as much for at least four or five times the price.

Before going I had to get something to nibble on. I stopped at the Curry Shack for a jerk pie for only $2. I also tried some delicious black-eyed pea soup at Eula's Cuisine, but an entire jar cost $12 and (again) I didn't have it on me. Sadly the chef says she won't be there next week, but she roams around to different farmers' markets. Hopefully she'll show up when I have the money on me! At least I got on her mailing list.

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Now I prepared for that by leaving my ATM card at home, hidden somewhere that I can't quite remember. Otherwise I knew I would go to the 7-Eleven and get out $20 more. Even worse since it's a Citibank ATM and my bank is Citibank, so the thought of using an ATM with no fees for me would make too easy.

Next time you go make sure to get some of the lentil spreads from Ethiopian Delights. There's a mild green one and a spicy-ish reddish one (Yemisir Wat); the latter is SO good that I end up eating all of it about 10 minutes after I get home from the market. It's $3 for a 4 ounce container but it's $3 well spent :)

I wish they would sell their stuff at the JFX market but no such luck :(

Kitt: Baltimore has almost enough Asian markets. I don't know what the selection is like in Colorado, but here and up and down the East Coast we have Han Ah-Reum (H-Mart), the Korean mega-supermarket. Herbs are about as much there as at the farmers' market. Actually, the basil is cheaper and comes in many varieties. But yeah, that ran through my mind even while I typed that.

Roopa: I'll stop by there. I have to find injera somewhere and eat it with that. I love injera bread.

Have you heard that there's a new farmers marketing downtown on Saturdays, starting this coming Saturday? It's over on the east side of the harbor. I've been to their DC market, so I've got high hopes for the new Balmer version.

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